Thursday, April 3, 2014

As the Weather Changes, You Should Adjust Your Plants' Care

We have finally made it into Spring, at least by the calendar. While we still have snow on the ground in Southern Ontario, I saw my first robin yesterday - and that to me is the surest sign that Spring is here.
We have talked about the affect that the longer daylight days have on your indoor tropical plants' growth..
With the milder temperatures and increased humidity that accompany Spring, how much and how often you water your plants will change.
We are experiencing more days of dampness right now because of quickly melting snow and more rain. Even if you have a well-sealed building, which most aren't, some of that outdoor humidity is making its way indoors.  As well, you are not running the furnace as high or as much because of the milder outdoor temperatures. This has the effect of increasing your indoor humidity levels.
Inexpensive temperature & humidity meters
It is easy to monitor the humidity with one of theses simple meters, available from your favourite hardware store. The blue meter indicates relative humidity as a %.  The grey meter is a thermometer. Each of these will cost about $5. The dual dial meter if a combination of the 2 in one case and will cost about $15. Ideally, for most of your indoor plants, we would like to maintain a relative humidity between 30 and 60%. This is also healthier for humans than too dry or too moist. These low cost humidity meters have an accuracy of +/- 7% . This doesn't sound very accurate; but it is good enough for monitoring purposes.
With increased humidity, your indoor tropical plants are not giving off as much moisture through transpiration.
The overall result is that your plants, right now, will not need as much water. Check your plants at least once a week and adjust water/feed as required.

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